Virtual blackjack hits Broward pari-mutuels

Gulfstream is first to offer electronic game

Blackjack is hitting South Florida pari-mutuels, but the dealer is on a TV monitor and there's an electronic board instead of chips.

Gulfstream Park Racing & Casino in Hallandale Beach began offering virtual blackjack Friday evening, shortly after the state signed off on its checklist of regulations.

Five players who can bet $5 to $200 sit around a TV monitor. Each receives two cards. The dealer on the screen then asks each player if he or she wants to hit, stand, split or double-down, and plays out the hand.

In October, the Florida Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering OK'd virtual blackjack, and Broward County's three state-supervised casinos started filing paperwork to add the machines. ( The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood has had live blackjack since June 2008.)

Manufacturer Shuffle Master Inc. agreed to give Gulfstream the games first. The Isle Casino & Racing in Pompano Beach and Mardi Gras Gaming in Hallandale Beach plan to add them the week of Dec. 21, officials from those casinos said.

Gulfstream Vice President Steve Calabro expects that each of the five seats at the four banks of machines will rake in more than a slot machine would, which is between $100 and $200 per day. He said he doesn't have large expectations, but the idea is that virtual blackjack is one more hook to get people through the door.

"It adds another spoke to our wheel," he said. Gulfstream gamblers who like the slots, horses and poker now have an option, as will shoppers when a mall opens on the property early next year.

The advertising campaign takes a shot at the Seminoles, who promise $10 blackjack all day, every day. The Gulfstream ad says, "$5 blackjack is finally here," Calabro said.

The machines are called "Royal Match 21," because they offer side bets. If a player wagers $1 and is dealt king-queen of the same suit, for example, it pays $25.

The pari-mutuels successfully argued that the games are legal because the machines operate on a random number generator -- the inner guts of a slot machine -- so they are essentially slots, which voters in Broward and Miami-Dade counties voters have approved. About 30 other states also have ruled that the games are slots.

The same state ruling approved video roulette and Keno, which the Seminoles also have. Gulfstream added video roulette last week, with Keno coming in a few weeks. The Isle and Mardi Gras officials said they hope to add video roulette and Keno later this month.

Nick Sortal can be reached at nsortal@SunSentinel.com or 954-356-4725.